The Shawwal crescent moon has been sighted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Thursday, April 20. Therefore, Thursday would be the last day of the holy month of Ramadan.
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court on Wednesday called on all Muslims in all parts of the Kingdom to sight the crescent of the month of Shawwal 1444, on Thursday evening, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
However, with this announcement by the @haramaininfo, today marks the end of Ramadan as the Eid- el- Fitri will be celebrated on Friday, April 21, 2023.
The Haramain on its official Twitter handle reads, ” The crescent moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia. #EidAlFitr will be celebrated on Friday 21st April 2023.
“May Allah ﷻ accept our fasting, prayers and righteous deeds and allow us to reach many more Ramadans in good health. Aameen.”
Eid moon sighting refers to the traditional practice of Muslims observing the crescent or new moon to determine the start of the tenth Islamic month of Shawwal, which marks the end of a month-long fasting of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr occur approximately 10-11 days earlier depending on when the crescent moon is sighted. This is because the lunar months are shorter than solar months and so it varies from country to country by about a day.
Ramadan takes place for 720 hours i.e. four weeks and two days during which the followers of Islam or Muslims fast between dawn and sunset, pray for peace and guidance, give back to the community in the form of charity or zakaat or engaging in humanitarian activities such as feeding the underprivileged and introspect to enlighten their souls.
During the end of Ramadan, intense prayers take place during the Laylatul Qadr or the Night of Power, which is believed to be the holiest night of the year. It generally falls on the 27th day of Ramadan and is a commemoration of the night when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
